2012 Review of CAM Commerce Retail STAR Lite

CAM Commerce — Retail STAR Lite
800-726-3282
www.camcommerce.com

Best Fit: Retail Star is best suited for larger retailers that have very specific needs. Retail Star contains excellent customization capability and retail-industry specific applications. For single location retailers, they may wish to try Retail Ice, a comparable version of the software available for use in one location.

Strengths

• Complete front/back office POS/financial management system
• Scalable, with users able to choose only the modules needed
• Direct interface with e-commerce technology
• Complete systems available for specialty stores such as apparel, sporting goods, pet stores
• Solid customization capability

Potential Limitations

• Steep learning curve for some

• Cost may be prohibitive

Retail Star, from CAM Commerce is a comprehensive POS product that contains both front and back office financial management capability along with an excellent POS function. Retail Star is a modular system, with users able to customize the system to suit their needs.

BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS: 5 Stars

Retail Star’s navigation screen is split in two, with all system modules listed on the left side, and all corresponding features within a chosen module listed directly to the right. Retail Star’s POS interface is spare in design, allowing users to scan an item, enter a product code, or a product number as needed. Products and customers can be added on the fly, and cashiers can easily search for products by utilizing a variety of criteria including vendor, description, style code, color, size, etc. Touch screen entry is slightly different, but both screens are easily customizable during system setup. Retail Star contains numerous user-defined fields, and a training database helps new users learn the system prior to going live.

Retail Star offers a long list of system modules including complete GL functionality, AR, AP, External Accounting, Sales Order/Invoicing, Job Tracking, Purchasing, Remote Operations, i.StART e-commerce module, Gift Card, Frequent Buyer, Maintenance, Reports, Franchise Consolidator, Real Time, and Open to Buy. Users can pick and choose the modules they need and add the rest if and when necessary.

All company employees are given a unique user ID and password for system access. Supervisors and managers can grant specific rights to each employee, such as cash register access, sales transactions, and the ability to handle returns and process voids and discounts. Security groups can be created for groups of employees such as entry level cashiers, cashier supervisors, and managers, making it easy to provide access rights.

Retail Star is a highly customizable system, with users able to set up the system during installation. Users also have the option to purchase a pre-programmed system that is designed specific for a particular industry, such as sporting goods, liquor stores, convenience stores, grocery stores, etc. Using CAMPOS Software, CAM Commerce can easily provide retailers with a complete customized system specific to their market.

The Product ScoreCARD is a dashboard that provides managers with real time information about the performance of each location. Retail Star is easily adapted for multi-location usage, with data from each store saved in a central database, eliminating the need for polling or data uploads. Retail Star easily allows users to process multiple transactions simultaneously, with cashiers able to look up product details, add a product when needed, locate customer data, process a sale, and enter a layaway as needed.

Products can have multiple price levels assigned, with users able to create endless price variations depending on need. Inventory management using multiple warehouses is easily accomplished, and the i.STAR e-commerce module provides an easy interface between web stores and brick and mortar locations. Orders can be handled remotely using Retail Star’s Remote Operations module, making it easy to process orders from just about anywhere.